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THE  SUNOL  STATUE  OF  COLUMBUS. 


BY   PERMISSION  OF   "THE  ART  INTERCHANGE. 


PEESENTATIOJ^ 

OF 

STOOL'S  BRO^^^ZE  STATUE 

OF 

CHRISTOPHER  COLUMBUS 

THE  MALL,  CENTRAL  PARK,  NEW  YORK 
SATURDAY,  MAY  12,  1894 


NEW  YORK 
1894 


250  copies,  privately  printed  by  The  De  Vinne  Press,  for 
Cornelius  Vanderbilt  and  James  Grant  Wilson. 


*.  ■ 


CHRISTOPHER  COLUMBUS 


O  more  beautiful  day  than  Saturday,  May 
the  twelfth,  1894,  could  have  been  selected 
for  the  unveiling  ceremonial  of  Jeronimo 
Sunol's  bronze  statue  of  Christopher  Colum- 
bus, in  the  Central  Park,  New  York.  The 
site  occupied  by  this  latest  addition  to  the 
art  treasures  of  the  American  metropolis 
is  perhaps  the  finest  in  the  Park,  standing, 
as  it  does,  at  the  south  end  of  the  broad 
central  avenue  known  as  the  Mall,  and  di- 
rectly opposite  the  noble  statue  of  Shakespeare  by  J.  Q.  A.  Ward. 
These  "two  great  heirs  of  fame"  of  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth 
centuries  confront  each  other,  and  are  appropriate  companions. 
The  statues  are  of  heroic  size,  standing  on  pedestals  somewhat 
similar  in  design,  but  differing  in  the  character  of  the  granite 
used,  the  Columbus  pedestal  being  designed  by  Napoleon  Le  Brun, 
of  New  York.  A  platform  facing  the  statue  had  been  erected  for 
the  use  of  the  speakers  and  the  Committee  of  Arrangements,  and 
was  tastefully  draped  with  flags,  while  two  thousand  seats  had 
been  provided  and  reserved  for  the  subscribers  to  the  statue, 
members  of  the  New  York  Genealogical  and  Biographical  Society, 


3 


and  other  guests,  all  of  whom  were  furnished  with  cards  similar  to 
the  one  that  appears  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 

Previous  to  the  presentation  of  the  statue,  there  was  a  formal 
breakfast  given  at  their  residence,  No.  15  East  Seventy-fourth 
street,  which  was  elaborately  decorated  with  American,  Spanish, 
and  Italian  flags,  by  General  and  Mrs.  Wilson  to  their  guests  from 
Washington,  D.  C,  consisting  of  Vice-President  and  Mrs.  Steven- 
son, the  Italian  Ambassador  and  Baroness  de  Fava,  and  Senor 
Don  Emilio  de  Muruaga,  the  Spanish  Minister.  Others  invited 
to  meet  them  were  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe,  Bishop  Potter,  Ad- 
miral Gherardi,  U.  S.  N.,  General  Howard,  U.  S.  A.,  Mr.  Depew, 
A.  Loudon  Snowden  of  Pennsylvania,  late  Minister  to  Spain,  who 
aided  General  Wilson  when  in  that  country  in  attending  to  details 
connected  with  the  statue,  Mr.  John  V.  L.  Pruyn,  and  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Committee  then  in  the  city,  viz.:  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van- 
derbilt,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marquand,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grace,  President 
and  Mrs.  James,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  J.  Goodwin.  At  2:45 
the  party  entered  carriages  and  were  escorted  to  the  Park  by  a 
detachment  of  twelve  mounted  Park  police.  The  first  carriage 
was  occupied  by  Vice-President  Stevenson,  General  Wilson,  Mrs. 
Julia  Ward  Howe,  and  the  Hon.  Chauncey  M.  Depew.  In  the 
second  were  the  Italian  Ambassador,  Baron  de  Fava,  the  Bishop 
of  New  York,  and  Cornelius  Vanderbilt.  In  the  third  were  ex- 
Mayor  and  Mrs.  Grace,  and  Mrs.  Stevenson.  In  the  fourth  rode 
the  Baroness  de  Fava,  Mrs.  Marquand,  and  General  Howard.  In 
the  fifth,  Mrs.  Grant  Wilson,  Miss  Wilson,  and  Admiral  Gherardi. 
In  the  sixth  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodwin,  and  Hon.  Thomas  L. 
James.  In  the  seventh,  Consul -General  Baldasano,  Col.  A. 
Loudon  Snowden,  and  Mr.  Pruyn. 

Five  minutes  before  three  o'clock,  the  assemblage  of  from  eight 
to  ten  thousand,  including  many  of  the  most  prominent  ladies 
and  gentlemen  of  New  York,  were  surprised  by  the  arrival  of 
the  cortege  that  was  to  conduct  the  ceremonial.  Leaving  their 
carriages  on  the  side  of  the  east  drive,  the  party  were  escorted  by 
Mr.  Philip  Rhinelander,  Mr.  William  G.  Verplanck,  and  several 


other  ushers*  to  the  grand  stand,  the  Chairman  and  Vice-Presi- 
dent Stevenson  leading  the  way.  Others  who  occupied  seats  on 
the  platform  were :  Admiral  Benham,  U.  S.  N.,  Mayor  Gilroy,  the 
President  of  the  Board  of  Park  Commissioners,  and  the  officers  of 
the  Spanish  ship  of  war  Nautilus,  then  in  New  York  Harbor. 

*  The  other  ushers,  all  members  of  the  New  York  Genealogical  and  Bio- 
graphical Society,  were  Messrs.  Gilbert  S.  Coddington,  Richard  H.  Greene,  Alfred 
R.  Conkling,  Edmund  Abdy  Hurry,  Henry  T.  DrowTie,  Theodore  Sutro,  Thomas 
G.  Evans,  John  V.  L.  Pruyn,  Richard  T.  Greene,  and  Clarence  W.  Bowen. 


The  following  programme  was  distributed  to  the  guests  on  the 
platform  and  to  the  audience  generally. 


6 


lA 


PRESENTATION  BY  CITIZENS  OF  NEW  YORK 

OP 

Simol's  Bronze  Statue  of 


CHRISTOPHER  COLUMBUS 


Saturday,  May  12,  1894,  at  3  o'clock  p.  m. 


COMMITTEE  OF  ARRANGEMENTS 

JAMES  GKANT  "WILSON,  Chairman 
MELIUS  VANDERBILT  HENRY  G.  MARQTJAN 

WILLIAM  WALDORF  ASTOR 
R.  GRACE  JAMES  J.  GOODWIN  THOMAS  L. 

CHARLES  F.  COX 


I.  General  Wilson,  President  of  the  New  York  Genealogical  and  Biographical 
Society,  will  take  the  Chair  as  presiding  officer. 

II.  Prayer,  by  Dr.  Henry  C.  Potter,  Bishop  of  New  York. 

III.  The  Vice-President  of  the  United  States  will  unveil  the  Statue  and  present 

it,  on  behalf  of  the  subscribers,  to  the  City  of  New  York. 

IV.  Acceptance  of  the  Statue  and  Response,  by  His  Honor  the  Mayor  of  the 

City. 

V.  A  Letter  from  the  Duke  of  Veragua,  the  descendant  of  Columbus,  wiU  be 
read  by  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  Esq. 

VI.  Address,  by  Baron  de  Fava,  Ambassador  from  Italy. 

VII.  Poem,  "A  Mariner's  Dream,"  by  Mrs.  Juha  Ward  Howe. 

VIII.  Address,  by  Senor  Don  Muruaga,  Minister  from  Spain. 

IX.  Oration,  by  the  Hon.  Chauncey  M.  Depew. 


THE  MALL,  CENTRAL  PARK 


-  PROGRAMME 


6 


Promptly  at  three  o'clock,  General  Wilson  called  the  meeting 
to  order,  and  after  briefly  congratulating  all  present  upon  the  au- 
spicious afternoon,  and  upon  the  magnificent  audience  assembled 
in  the  American  metropolis,  to  do  honor  to  the  memory  of  the 
illustrious  Discoverer  of  the  New  World,  he  introduced  Dr.  Henry 
C.  Potter,  Bishop  of  New  York,  who  delivered  a  lengthy  invoca- 
tion, concluding  with  the  Lord's  Prayer,  which  many  present 
joined  in  repeating. 


The  Chairman  then  said : 

"  More  than  a  decade  has  passed  since  an  American,  strolling 
through  the  Prado  of  Madrid,  came  unexpectedly  upon  a  superb 
marble  statue  of  the  '  world-seeking  Genoese,'  and  he  then  and 
there  resolved  to  have  a  bronze  statue  of  Columbus,  from  the 
same  skilful  and  cunning  hand,  set  up  in  the  Central  Park.  A  few 
days  later,  when  the  traveler  was  a  guest  in  the  magnificent 
Madrid  Palace,  so  much  admired  by  the  great  Napoleon,  the 
American  mentioned  his  purpose  to  the  ruler  of  the  country,  who 
said :  '  Columbus  should  ever  be  an  enduring  bond  between  Spain 
and  the  United  States,'  and  who  promised  to  come  to  New  York 
during  the  summer  of  1892  with  an  imposing  and  powerful 
Spanish  squadron  and  unveil  the  statue. 

"Alas,  the  young  King  has  for  several  years  slept  with  many 
generations  of  his  royal  ancestors  in  the  vast  and  gloomy  burial- 
place  known  as  the  Monastery  of  the  Escorial.  Dm'ing  the  past 
year,  as  many  present  will  remember,  the  Duke  of  Yeragua,  with 
his  family,  visited  the  United  States  as  the  nation's  guest.  While 
in  this  country,  the  Duke  accepted  our  committee's  invitation  to 
unveil  the  statue  of  his  illustrious  ancestor,  but  a  mishap  to  the 
steamship  delayed  its  arrival  until  too  late  a  day  for  the  Duke  to 
perform  the  duty  before  returning  to  Spain,  but  not  too  late  for 
him  to  see  it  and  to  express  his  unqualified  admiration  for  the 
.artistic  merits  of  Sunol's  statue,  which  is  an  original  work  cast 

7 


from  a  new  and  improved  model  of  the  Madrid  counterfeit  pre- 
sentment of  the  illustrious  discoverer. 

"The  pleasant  duty  which  neither  the  Spanish  Monarch  nor  the 
Spanish  Duke  had  the  privilege  of  performing,  now  devolves  upon 
our  esteemed  fellow-citizen,  the  Hon.  Adlai  E.  Stevenson,  of 
Illinois,  Vice-President  of  the  United  States.  I  have  the  pleasure 
of  presenting  Mr.  Stevenson,  who  will  now  unveil  the  statue  and 
present  it,  on  behalf  of  the  subscribers,  to  the  City  of  New  York." 

Vice-President  Stevenson's  remarks  were  as  follows : 

"  No  words  of  mine  can  add  to  the  interest  or  the  dignity  of 
this  great  occasion.  This  hour  will  live  in  history.  From  elo- 
quent lips  have  fallen  burning  words,  which  will  tell  to  coming 
ages  of  the  homage  paid  here,  and  now,  to  the  memory  of  the 
discoverer  of  a  continent.  Central  Park  —  beautiful  and  mag- 
nificent—  is  a  fit  place  for  the  statue  of  Columbus.  It  is  well 
that  to  the  City  of  New  York — the  metropolis  of  the  continent  — 
should  have  fallen  the  grateful  task  of  portraying  to  the  millions 
of  all  the  coming  ages  the  features  of  the  man  who,  despite 
obstacle  and  danger,  marked  out  the  pathway  to  the  New  World. 
The  name  and  fame  of  Columbus  belong  exclusively  to  no  age  or 
country.  They  are  the  enduring  heritage  of  all  people.  Your 
President  has  truly  said :  '  In  all  the  transactions  of  history  there 
is  no  act  which  for  vastness  and  performance  can  be  compared  to 
the  discovery  of  the  continent  of  America.'*  In  the  modest 
words  of  the  great  navigator,  he  '  only  opened  the  gates,'  and  lo ! 
there  came  in  the  builders  of  a  new  and  mighty  nation. 

"  It  is  said  that  in  Venice  there  is  sacredly  preserved  a  letter 
written  by  Columbus  a  few  hours  before  he  sailed  from  Palos. 
With  reverent  expression  of  trust  in  God — humbly,  but  with  un- 
faltering faith — he  spoke  of  his  'purposed  voyage  to  that  famous 
land.'    He  builded  wiser  than  he  knew.    His  dream,  while  a 

*  "Memorials  and  Footprints  of  Columbus."  An  address  by  Gen.  Jas.  Grant 
Wilson,  President  of  the  New  York  Genealo^cal  and  Biographical  Society.  New 
York,  1888. 


8 


suppliant  in  the  antechamber  of  kings  and  while  keeping  lonely 
vigil  upon  the  deep,  was  the  discovery  of  a  new  pathway  to  the 
Indies.  Yet  who  can  doubt  that  to  his  prophetic  soul  was  then 
foreshadowed  something  of  that  famous  land  with  the  warp  and 
woof  of  whose  history,  tradition,  and  song  his  name  and  fame  are 
linked  for  all  time.  Was  it  Mr.  Wintlirop  who  said  of  Columbus 
and  his  compeers, '  They  were  the  pioneers  in  the  march  to  inde- 
pendence, the  precursors  in  the  only  progress  of  freedom  which 
was  to  have  no  backward  step'? 

"  Is  it  too  much  to  say  of  this  man  that  among  the  world's 
benefactors  a  greater  than  he  hath  not  appeared  I  What  page  in 
all  history  tells  of  deeds  so  fraught  with  blessings  to  the  genera- 
tions of  men  as  the  discovery  of  America  ?  Columbus  added  a 
continent  to  the  map  of  the  world.  I  will  not  detain  you  longer. 
Your  eyes  will  now  behold  this  splendid  work  of  art.  It  is  well 
that  its  approaches  are  firm  and  broad,  for  along  this  pathway, 
with  the  rolling  centuries,  will  come  as  pilgrims  to  a  shrine  the 
myriads  of  all  lands  to  behold  this  bronze  statue  of  Columbus — 
this  enduring  and  beautiful  monument  to  the  gratitude  of  a  great 
city  of  a  great  nation." 

When  the  enthusiastic  cheering  which  greeted  the  Vice-Presi- 
dent's remarks  and  the  first  view  of  the  magnificent  statue,  which 
bad  been  shrouded  in  an  immense  American  flag,  had  subsided, 
the  Chairman  presented  the  Mayor  of  the  city,  who  said :  "  On  be- 
half of  the  City  of  New  York,  I  accept  with  pleasure  and  gratitude 
the  trust  just  reposed  in  me.  It  is  proper  that  the  deeds  of 
heroes  should  be  remembered,  and  among  heroes  Christopher 
Columbus  stands  high.  He  opened  a  new  continent,  in  which  a 
sturdy  race  has  grown  up  and  is  spreading  the  seeds  of  liberty 
and  civilization  over  the  face  of  the  globe." 

General  Wilson  then  introduced  Mr.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  a 
member  of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements,  who  read  the  follow- 
ing letters  from  the  Duke  of  Veragua  and  the  Hon.  Robert  C. 


IB 


9 


Winthrop,  of  Massachusetts,  whose  eighty-fifth  birthday,  the 
Chairman  announced,  occurs  this  very  day.  Mr.  Vanderbilt  also 
read  a  letter  from  the  Governor  of  the  State,  expressing  his 
regret  that  important  engagements  prevented  his  being  present. 

Madrid,  15  April,  1894. 

My  dear  General:  On  the  occasion  of  the  unveiling  of  the 
statue  of  Columbus,  I  beg  you  to  express  my  gi-eetings  to  the  City 
of  New  York  and  to  all  American  citizens  who  are  assembled  to 
pay  a  new  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  my  illustrious 
ancestor.  I  regret  that  I  am  unable  to  assist  personally  in  the 
ceremonial,  but  I  wish  to  state  at  this  moment  my  gratefulness  to 
America,  which  the  great  distance  that  separates  me  from  your 
wonderful  country  cannot  make  me  forget. 

You  have  just  erected  a  work  of  art  of  the  sculptor  Sunol,  who 
has,  better  than  any  other  of  his  profession,  reproduced  in  marble 
and  bronze  the  inspired  features  of  the  man  whose  genius  dis- 
covered a  continent  greater  than  the  rest  of  the  then  known 
world.  Spain  prides  herself  on  artists  like  Sunol.  Allow  me  to 
thank  you,  both  as  a  Spaniard  and  as  a  descendant  of  Columbus. 
Also  I  beg,  dear  General,  to  congratulate  you  upon  the  interest 
that  you  have  taken  in  the  matter,  which  has  so  greatly  con- 
tributed to  its  success. 

The  Duchess  sends  her  kindest  regards.  Believe  me,  sincerely 
your  friend,  Veragua. 

General  Grant  Wilson. 

90  Marlborough  Street. 
Boston,  ]\1ass.,  2  May,  1894. 
Gen.  Jas.  Grant  Wilson,  Chairman. 

My  dear  Sir:  Let  me  offer,  without  further  delay,  my  best 
thanks  to  the  Committee  of  Arrangements  and  to  the  New  York 
Genealogical  and  Biographical  Society  for  their  obliging  invita- 

10 


tion  to  the  interesting  ceremonial  of  the  12th  inst.  It  would 
afford  me  sincere  pleasure  to  witness  the  unveiling  of  the  statue 
of  Columbus  in  your  beautiful  Central  Park  by  the  Vice-President 
of  the  United  States.  But  age  and  infirmities  constrain  me  to 
deny  myself  to  such  occasions,  and  I  can  only  return  my  gi-ateful 
acknowledgment  of  so  kind  an  invitation.  Believe  me,  my  dear 
General,  Yours  very  truly, 

ROBEKT  C.  WiNTHROP. 

Baeon  de  Fava,  the  Italian  Ambassador,  was  then  introduced, 
and  said : 

"It  has  been  my  good  fortune  to  follow  the  celebration  of 
Columbus,  from  its  beginning  to  this  day.  I  have  been  present 
at  Genoa,  New  York,  and  Chicago.  I  have  seen  two  beautiful 
works  of  art  rise  in  this  city  in  honor  of  Columbus.  One  has 
been  erected  by  the  Italian  residents  of  New  York,  and  is  the 
work  of  an  eminent  artist.  This  statue,  the  unveiling  of  which  I 
have  been  so  kindly  asked  to  witness,  shows  plainly  that  the  love 
of  art  stands  as  high  in  America  as  the  love  of  Columbus.  Now,  as 
on  former  occasions,  what  impresses  me  deeply  is  the  current  of 
sympathy,  the  bond  of  friendship,  the  memory  of  this  immortal 
man  has  created  between  the  Old  and  the  New  World.  They  have 
said  to  each  other  on  this  solemn  occasion :  '  We  must  be  friends 
forever ;  our  history,  our  glorious  past,  and  our  future  prosperity 
command  it.' " 


11 


"  The  Mariner's  Dream,"  a  poem  written  for  the  occasion  by 
Mrs.  Julia  Waed  Howe,  a  native  of  New  York,  as  General  Wilson 
announced  in  introducing  her,  then  followed : 


HERE  shall  we  find  the  golden  key 


T  T      That  opes  to  peace  and  liberty  f 
The  earth  is  full  of  gi'ievous  wars. 
The  soldier's  tread  her  beauty  mars, 
The  captive's  chains  are  fast  and  locked. 
The  poor  man  by  the  rich  man  mocked. 
The  promise  of  the  Christ  we  hear, 
But  who  shall  bring  fulfilment  near? 

A  dream  came  to  a  sailor  bold, 
A  happy  dream  of  good  untold ; 
And  a  little  bird  sang:  "Follow  me 
Westward,  over  the  unknown  sea. 
A  star  shall  lead  thy  chosen  band, 
And  bring  thy  slender  craft  to  land. 
Beyond  the  waters  thou  shalt  find 
Regions  of  splendor  unconfined. 
Where  giant  rivers  fruitful  flow, 
Where  bii-ds  of  tropic  plumage  glow. 
Where  the  old  treasures  of  thy  race 
Shall  grow  and  multiply  apace. 
And  ancient  Rule  renew  its  health 
In  a  new  glorious  commonwealth." 

*         *         *  * 

The  dreamer  waking,  bowed  his  head. 
And  on  the  wondrous  errand  sped. 

12 


Should  all  mankind  against  me  turn, 
The  haven  gained,  my  wage  should  earn. 
The  yet  undowered  Future  claim 
Earth's  noblest  conquest  in  my  name." 

Oh,  man  of  visions,  sorely  vexed ! 
Denied,  deserted,  and  perplexed  ; 
Shamed  by  rebuke  from  royal  lips. 
And  Fame  and  Fortune's  sad  eclipse, 
Thy  furrow  traced  across  the  sea 
The  unseen  path  of  destiny. 
In  thy  firm  hand  the  steadfast  helm 
Steered  onward  to  the  magic  realm. 
And  now  from  out  the  centuries'  maze 
Millions  of  voices  sing  thy  praise. 
And  hail  those  conquering  footsteps  trod. 
Inspired  of  angels,  led  by  God. 

*         *         *  * 

Here  gather  we  in  Gotham  town, 
Of  all  our  western  world  the  crown, 
While  ladies  fair  and  gallants  gay 
Unite  to  celebrate  the  day. 
But  while  we  list  the  high  discourse 
And  while  the  Paean  has  its  course. 
Let  Faith  re-consecrate  this  form, 
Adventured  once  'gainst  sea  and  storm. 

For 't  was  this  hand  that  held  the  key. 
Unlocking  Peace  and  Liberty. 
When  all  we  have  and  all  we  are 
Hung  on  the  guidance  of  a  star. 
And  on  the  answer,  dimly  guessed 
In  one  resolved,  responsive  breast. 

14 


At  the  conclusiou  of  the  readiug  of  Mrs.  Howe's  poem,  which 
was  highly  applauded,  the  announcement  was  made  by  the  Chair- 
man, that  Seiior  Don  Muruaga,  the  Spanish  Minister,  who  had 
come  from  Washington  to  attend  the  ceremonial,  was  by  a  sudden 
attack  of  illness  confined  to  his  rooms  at  the  Plaza  Hotel,  and  was 
therefore  unfortunately  prevented  from  being  present.  In  his 
absence,  he  was  represented  by  the  Consul-General  of  Spain, 
Senor  Arturo  Baldasano,  who  read  the  brief  address  prepared  by 
the  Spanish  Minister,  which  was  as  follows : 

"  It  becomes  the  representative  of  Spain,  the  country  which 
was  the  prime  promoter  of  the  discovery  of  America,  to  address 
on  this  occasion  the  people  of  this  great  metropolis  and  of  the 
United  States  in  a  spirit  of  friendship  and  good  will.  It  is  more- 
over particularly  gratifying  to  the  Spanish  Government  t^  behold 
the  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  General  Grant  Wilson, 
organizer  of  this  successful  enterprise,  and  Mr.  Chauncey  M. 
Depew,  the  genial  and  popular  orator  of  New  York,  raising  their 
eloquent  voices  to  honor  the  memory  of  Columbus.  The  mind 
hesitates,  and  feels  bewildered,  considering  the  possibilities  that 
might  have  arisen  in  the  old  European  countries,  struggling  with 
the  unknown  and  as  yet  uncontrollable  problems  of  labor  and 
capital,  over-population  and  over-production,  had  this  vast  con- 
tinent not  been  thrown  wide  open  to  the  partizans  of  free  thought 
and  free  government.  Let  this  well-deserved  statue  of  Columbus 
remind  future  generations  that  every  man,  however  exalted  his 
position  may  be,  must  contribute  with  his  share  of  labor  and 
worry  to  the  public  welfare." 

op 

Mr.  Depew,  the  orator  of  the  day,  was  then  presented  by  General 
Wilson,  and  delivered  the  following  admirable  address,  which  was 
listened  to  with  the  greatest  attention,  and  was  very  generally 
accepted  as  among  the  most  successful  of  Mr.  Depew's  many 
oratorical  efforts  of  the  past  twenty  years. 


15 


MR.  DEPEW'S  SPEECH. 


NEW  YORK  can  add  nothing  to  the  glory  of  Columbus,  but 
she  may  enforce  the  lesson  of  his  life  and  discovery.  The 
fire  kindled  by  him  on  a  little  island  of  the  Western  Hemisphere, 
amid  the  darkness  of  the  fifteenth  century,  has  become  the  flame 
which  illumines  the  nineteenth  with  light  and  liberty.  Seed-time 
and  harvest  have  their  soil  and  seasons  with  humanity  as  with 
the  earth.  In  all  ages  and  among  all  races,  the  winds  and  the 
waves  have  borne  the  kernels  of  truth,  and  they  have  been  lost 
on  the  rocks  and  in  the  waters.  There  were  patriots  before  Run- 
nymede,  but  their  blood  fertilized  that  field  for  Magna  Charta. 
Patriots  had  labored  and  died  in  vain  before  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  in  1776.  German  Federation  had  been  a  Teutonic 
dream  for  two  thousand  years  before  Bismarck.  Italian  unity 
was  the  hope  of  Italy  for  centuries  before  Garibaldi,  Mazzini, 
and  Cavour.  The  French  Republic  was  the  effort  and  aspiration 
of  the  best  thinkers  and  boldest  actors  of  France  for  a  hundred 
years  before  Thiers  and  Gambetta.  The  Viking  sailed  along  the 
coast  of  North  America,  and  planted  colonies  upon  its  shores  five 
hundred  years  before  Columbus.  But  the  time  was  not  ripe,  and 
the  people  of  Europe  were  not  prepared  for  America  and  its 
opportunities. 

The  brilliant  and  liberal  reign  of  Lorenzo  the  Magnificent  at 
Florence,  which  closed  as  Columbus  sailed  from  Palos,  had  stimu- 
lated commerce,  art,  and  learning.  It  had  both  awakened  and 
opened  the  mind  in  every  country  on  the  continent.  The  literary 
treasures  of  the  great  library  of  the  Vatican  were  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  scholars,  and  the  revival  of  learning  was  a  marked 
feature  of  the  period.  The  expulsion  of  the  Moslems  from  Spain 
had  relieved  Europe  of  the  strain  of  warring  creeds.  Intense 


16 


intellectual  activity  was  bronking  the  bonds  of  the  Middle  Ages 
and  preparing  the  way  for  independent  thought  and  discovery. 
The  statesmanship  and  the  guile  of  Louis  XL  in  France,  and 
the  concentration  of  power  in  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  in  Spain, 
had  broken  down  feudalism  and  centralized  authority.  The  road 
from  the  dismantled  castles  of  the  Barons  to  the  royal  palace, 
and  from  the  royal  palace  to  the  representative  assembly  of  the 
people,  became  the  highway  of  liberty.  These  wonderful  and 
revolutionary  events  were,  for  a  time,  the  blessings  only  of  the 
favored  few,  the  great  and  the  learned. 

[At  this  point  in  his  oration,  the  speaker  saw  that  something  was  amusing  his 
audience.  Tlie  sun  had  by  this  time  gotten  well  down  in  the  west,  and  shone  full 
in  Mr.  Depew's  face.  General  Howard  stood  by  his  side  and  tried  to  shield  him 
with  an  umbrella,  but  could  not  do  it  without  hiding  Mr.  Depew  from  the  people. 
General  Howard  gave  it  up  .amid  the  laughter  of  the  crowd,  and  General  Wilson 
took  the  umbrella,  but  met  with  no  better  success.  Senor  Baldasano  then  tried 
his  hand,  and  managed  to  throw  a  little  shadow  on  Mr.  Depew's  left  ear  and  a 
corner  of  his  forehead.  The  orator  of  the  day  laughed  as  heartily  as  any  of  his 
auditors  during  the  performance  of  this  little  comedy,  and  when  quiet  was  re- 
stored said : 

^'Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  This  is  not  the  first  time  an  attemjit  has  been  made  to 
eclipse  me.  That  famous  soldier,  General  Howard,  has  tried  it  and  was  forced 
to  give  it  up ;  General  Wilson,  who  brought  this  statue  over  under  his  arm,  and 
who  never  failed  in  anything  that  he  has  undertaken  heretofore,  could  n't  do  it, 
but  now,"  turning  and  bowing  to  Senor  Baldasano,  "  I  stand  under  the  shadow 
of  Spain."] 

It  was  reserved  not  for  kings  or  nobles  or  the  mighty  of  earth 
to  utilize  the  past  and  present  for  the  uplifting  of  the  masses  of 
mankind.  We  may  say  reverently,  As  Christianity  came  for  us 
through  the  sou  of  a  carpenter,  so  the  invention  which  opened  the 
way  for  Christianizing  the  world  was  wrought  out  by  a  humble 
artisan  of  Mayence.  The  significance  of  types  and  the  prophecy 
of  their  use  were  made  clear  in  the  selection  of  the  Bible  as  their 
first  work.  The  printing-press  of  Gruteuberg  and  the  invention 
of  paper,  which  had  preceded  it  only  a  few  years,  were  the  levers 
and  the  levelers  of  the  future.    By  bringing  education  within  the 


17 


reach  of  all,  they  elevated  the  people  to  the  understanding  and 
practice  of  liberty;  and  equal  opportunity  and  rights  battered 
down  privilege  and  caste. 

Incidents,  which  to  the  pious  are  special  providences,  and  to 
others  trifling  accidents,  have  often  altered  the  course  of  history. 
The  marriage  of  Isabella  with  Ferdinand  enabled  a  liberal  and 
generous  mind  to  influence  a  bigoted  and  miserly  one  for  the 
venture,  certainly  rash,  perhaps  blasphemous,  into  the  unknown 
West,  and  made  possible  the  voyage  of  Columbus.  A  hungry  boy 
stopped  his  proud  and  mendicant  father  at  the  door  of  the  Convent 
of  La  Rabida,  to  meet  there  in  the  person  of  the  Prior,  the  en- 
lightened and  learned  Father  Juan  Perez,  the  Confessor  of  the 
Queen,  the  only  man  living  who  had  both  the  breadth  and  inde- 
pendence to  understand  and  believe  in  the  plans  of  the  great 
navigator  and  also  the  confidence  of  her  Majesty.  It  was  a  flight 
of  birds  which  changed  the  course  of  the  Santa  Maria  and  her 
c6nsorts,  and  gave  South  America  to  Spain  and  Portugal,  and  the 
dominant  power  on  the  northern  continent  to  the  Saxon  race. 
Thus,  the  United  States,  as  distinguished  from  the  Spanish  Ee- 
publics  and  the  Portuguese  Empire  and  subsequent  Republic  of 
Brazil,  is  apparently  an  accident  of  an  accident.  It  is  really  the 
result  of  climate  and  conditions  suited  to  the  development  of  that 
resistless  strain  in  the  blood  which  circles  the  globe  with  its  con- 
quests, and,  blended  with  Teuton  and  Celt,  with  Latin  and  Scandi- 
navian, increases  the  power  and  the  promise  of  our  country. 

Ferdinand  was  a  typical  representative  of  his  times.  We  must 
judge  the  men  of  every  period  by  their  standards,  not  ours.  Only 
fools  are  offended  at  criticisms  of  the  State  or  Church  of  the  dark 
ages,  and  only  the  ignorant  claim  that  either  was  so  abreast  with 
the  thought  or  education  of  to-day  that  their  substitution  for 
present  conditions  would  receive  now  either  welcome  or  hospital- 
ity. The  King  believed  the  torture  chamber  better  than  courts  of 
justice.  He  knew  of  no  law  which  was  superior  to  his  autocratic 
will.  He  was  frugal  to  meanness  and  devoid  of  generosity  or 
integrity.    He  laughed  at  Columbus  when  the  great  navigator 

18 


was  pleading  for  the  sliips  to  find  for  liim  an  empire,  and  he 
cheated  the  dying  hero  of  the  rewards  he  promised  and  the  honors 
he  had  pledged  when  the  empire  was  won.  To  Isabella  had  been 
wafted  across  space  a  breath  of  the  purer  air  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  When  we  consider  what  she  was,  in  spite  of  the  almost 
insufferable  barriers  of  her  environment,  a  sweet  and  mighty 
spirit  seems  to  have  escaped  from  the  bondage  of  the  age,  and  in 
the  beautiful  presence  of  the  Queen  inspired  the  soul  of  a  saint 
and  prophetess.  She  gave  her  jewels  for  the  fleet,  and  with  un- 
dimmed  faith  waited  for  the  retux'n,  which  ended  in  triumphal  pro- 
cessions and  royal  greetings.  She  struck  the  shackles  from  the 
Indian  slaves  which  were  brought  her  as  part  of  the  booty  of  the 
New  World,  and  issued  stern  decrees  against  cruelty  and  lust ;  but 
they  were  nullified  by  her  untimely  death,  and  myriads  of  innocent 
men,  women,  and  children  were  consigned  to  nameless  horrors  and 
final  extermination.  This  favored  land  recognizes  its  obligations 
to  its  benefactress  in  granting  to  woman  privileges  and  oppor- 
tunities unknown  in  other  countries.  It  gives  to  her  independence 
and  control  in  her  property.  It  opens  for  her  the  academy  and 
the  university,  and  it  yields  to  her  a  precedence  and  power,  at 
home  and  in  society,  which  puts  within  her  grasp  the  substance 
of  rights  which,  in  the  boasted  age  of  chivalry,  were  only  a  flow- 
ery and  pretentious  sham. 

Columbus  was  of  that  rare  type  of  genius  which  belongs  to  no 
age,  and  rises  above  the  errors,  or  superstitions,  or  ignorance  of 
his  period.  While  most  of  the  learned,  and  all  the  unlearned,  be- 
lieved the  earth  to  be  flat,  he  boldly  proclaimed  its  sphericity ; 
while  the  same  overwhelming  majority  feared  the  monsters  of  the 
deep,  who  were  waiting  beyond  the  western  horizon  to  devour  the 
daring  and  sacrilegious  mariners  and  destroy  their  ships,  he  saw 
on  the  other  side  of  the  unknown  sea  limitless  empire  for  his 
sovereigns,  and  myriads  of  souls  for  the  saving  offices  of  his 
Church.  He  had  sailed  to  the  farthest  limits  of  the  discoveries  of 
the  times.  He  had  investigated  with  unprejudiced  and  unclouded 
mind  the  evidences  cast  up  from  the  ocean  of  other  lands  and 

19 


strange  peoples.  As  sailor,  privateer,  and  pirate,  lie  had  experi- 
enced the  dangers  of  hostile  elements  and  armed  enemies.  As 
geographer  and  mapmaker,  he  had  absorbed  all  the  teachings  of 
the  past,  and  boldly  pU\ced  upon  his  maps  the  new  continent,  with 
its  untold  wealth  of  gold  and  precious  stones,  and  its  unequaled 
opportunities  for  the  power  and  greatness  of  the  throne,  which 
would  grant  him  the  facilities  of  his  voyage.  The  conquest  of 
Grenada  and  the  expulsion  of  the  Moors  from  Spain  seemed  to  the 
statesmen  of  Europe  an  event  of  transcendent  importance,  but 
to  this  superb  enthusiast  it  was -a  local  affair  which  delayed  the 
plans  for  the  capture  of  a  continent. 

The  spiritual  and  temporal  power,  the  pomp  and  pageantry  of 
Castile  and  Aragon,  formed  an  array  unequaled  in  the  brilliancy 
of  its  King  and  Queen,  its  prelates  and  statesmen,  its  philosophers 
and  soldiers,  and  in  the  splendor  of  their  equipment,  to  receive 
from  Boabdil  the  keys  of  his  capital,  and  the  capitulation  of  his 
kingdom.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  hour  lifted  the  Spanish  hosts  to 
heavenly  ecstasy,  all  save  one.  This  proud  pauper,  the  royal  pur- 
ple of  his  imagination  giving  dignity  to  his  rags  and  majesty  to 
his  mien,  looked  coldly  upon  the  splendid  spectacle.  To  the  man 
who  had  waited  for  years,  because  he  would  accept  no  other  terms 
with  his  fleet  than  the  Admiralty  of  the  Ocean,  the  Yiceroyalty 
of  the  Indies,  and  one  tenth  the  revenues  of  the  Western  Hemi- 
sphere, the  martial  field  before  him  was  only  a  skirmish  on  the 
battle-line  of  the  universe. 

The  faults  of  Columbus  were  the  results  of  the  civilization  and 
conditions  of  his  times,  from  which  no  man  is  great  enough  to 
wholly  escape;  but  his  faith  was  his  own.  After  the  lapse  of  four 
hundred  years  it  is  as  impressive  to  us  as  it  was  potent  with  his 
contemporaries.  It  gave  immortality  to  the  humble  Convent  of 
La  Rabida  and  its  noble  prior.  It  clarified  the  atmosphere  and 
dispelled  the  darkness  about  Isabella,  so  that  she  could  grasp  the 
great  truth.  It  calmed  the  fears  and  quelled  the  mutiny  of  the 
crew,  and  found  its  reward  in  the  glimmering  light  on  San  Sal- 
vador, which  for  the  sailors  meant  land  at  last,  and  for  the  Ad- 

20 


miral  the  New  World  of  which  he  had  dreamed,  for  which  he  iiad 
suffered,  and  now,  after  discouragements  and  perils  innumerable, 
had  discovered. 

In  1492  was  issued  the  cruel  edict  which  confiscated  the  prop- 
erty of  hundreds  and  thousands  of  Jews  and  then  expelled  them 
from  Spain.  In  the  same  year  the  same  sovereigns  equipped  the 
fleet  of  Columbus  for  its  immortal  voyage.  The  unhappy  and  un- 
fortunate Hebrews  were  landed  upon  the  shores  of  Asia  and 
Africa,  but  nowhere  did  they  receive  either  welcome  or  hospital- 
ity. The  little  ships  of  Columbus  as  they  sailed  out  of  the  harbor 
of  Palos  passed  the  great  war-vessels  which  were  carrying  these 
captive  Israelites  from  their  homes.  The  royal  frigates  were  bear- 
ing them  to  fresh  horrors  and  persecutions,  but  the  weak  and 
deckless  caravels  of  the  discoverer  were,  unknown  to  sovereign  or 
servant,  guided  by  Divine  Providence  to  the  land  where  all  creeds 
and  all  races  should  dwell  in  the  harmony  of  equal  rights,  and 
unite  in  contributing  to  the  power  and  glory  of  a  government  of 
organized  liberty. 

The  inspiring  dream  of  Columbus  was  to  utilize  the  treasures 
of  the  New  World  for  the  redemption  from  the  infidel  of  the  holy 
sepulcher  at  Jerusalem.  He  believed  that  by  virtue  of  his  name, 
Christopher,  he  was  carrying  Christ  across  the  sea  to  the  heathen. 
The  lust  for  gold  made  his  followers  profane  the  name  of  the 
Prince  of  Peace  with  such  outrages  and  cruelties,  such  torturings 
and  massacres  of  the  confiding  aborigines,  as  caused  even  the 
fifteenth  century  to  shudder.  He  died,  with  his  dream  of  the 
rescue  of  the  tombs  of  the  Saviour  still  a  vision.  He  little  knew,  as 
he  lay  helpless  amidst  the  ruin  of  his  hopes,  that  though  he  had  lost 
an  empty  grave,  he  had  found  a  perpetual  asylum  for  conscience. 
He  could  not  foresee  that,  while  in  their  savage  greed  those  with 
him  and  those  who  came  after  gave  to  the  Indians  not  the  light 
of  truth,  but  consigned  them  to  the  flames,  and  brought  to  them 
not  the  gospel  of  love,  but  fell  upon  them  with  sword  and  spear, 
yet  the  country  he  discovered  would  be  the  bulwark  and  hope  of 
the  Church. 


31 


The  Pilgrim  Fathers  fled  from  persecution  in  England  to  re- 
ligious hberty  in  Massachusetts.  The  Highlanders  who  fought 
for  Prince  Charles  Edward  Stuart  found  refuge  in  North  Caro- 


lina.  The  Quakers  to  be  free  from  their  tormentors  sailed  to 
Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  and  they  received  there  with  open 
arms  the  Germans  driven  from  the  Palatinate  by  Louis  the  Four- 

22 


teenth.  The  Huguenots  escaping  from  France  after  the  revocation 
of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  built  happy  homes  on  the  Hudson  and 
under  the  shelter  of  the  groves  of  South  Carolina.  Oglethorpe  led 
the  Teutons  seeking  an  opportunity  to  worship  God  according  to 
their  lights  from  Salzburg  to  Georgia.  Irishmen,  saved  from  the 
merciless  conquests  of  Cromwell,  scattered  all  over  the  land  to 
consecrate  their  altars  and  enjo)''  in  safety  their  religion.  Dutch 
Protestants  came  to  New  York,  Swedish  Protestants  to  Delaware, 
English  Catholics  to  Maryland,  and  the  English  Church  Cavaliers 
to  Virginia.  The  best  contribution  of  Columbus  to  future  gener- 
ations was  a  continent  for  the  cultivation  of  ci\'il  and  religious 
liberty.  A  State  built  upon  the  individual,  and  not  upon  classes 
or  creeds,  is  the  source  and  strength  of  American  freedom. 

It  was  the  supreme  good  fortune  of  the  United  States  that  for 
its  first  settlers  the  conditions  of  existence  were  labor,  temperance, 
and  thrift.  The  hostile  savages,  the  rigors  of  the  climate,  the 
virgin  forests,  and  the  resisting  soil,  demanded  the  indomitable 
energy  and  dauntless  courage  which  fashion  heroes  and  patriots. 
Had  there  been  gold-mines  in  New  England,  New  York,  and 
Virginia,  to  excite  the  cupidity  of  kings  and  tempt  the  adventurers 
of  Europe,  and  to  demoralize  the  inhabitants  of  the  colonies  and 
take  them  from  their  homes  and  their  churches  to  the  feverish 
excitement  of  mining-camps,  there  would  have  been  little  per- 
manent settlement  or  public  sentiment.  The  farms  on  the  bleak 
hillsides  of  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts,  in  the  Mohawk  Valley, 
along  the  Delaware  and  on  the  James,  were  fountains  of  national 
virtue  and  springs  of  free  thought  and  free  speech.  It  was  the 
training  and  experience  of  necessity  which  opened  the  avenues  of 
opportunity  for  the  people  of  North  America.  It  enabled  the 
"embattled  farmer"  at  Concord  and  Lexington  to  face  the  vet- 
erans of  European  battle-fields.  It  nerved  the  members  of  the 
Continental  Congress  to  brave  the  terrors  of  treason,  and  confis- 
cation, and  death,  by  their  bold  and  clear  signatures  to  the  Declar- 
ation of  Independence.  It  reared  and  trained  a  race  who  could 
rescind  slavery  though  it  was  interwoven  with  their  political 

23 


system  from  foundatiou  to  turret,  and  after  bloody  battles  between 
those  who  upheld  the  one  side  and  those  who  favored  the  other, 
could  reunite  to  labor  harmoniously  for  the  welfare  and  strength 
of  the  purified  republic. 

The  Columbian  idea  of  discovery  was  to  find  a  land  where  gold 
could  be  mined  from  exhaustless  stores,  a  land  flowing  with  rivers 
of  diamonds  and  precious  stones.  Limitless  wealth,  easily  ac- 
quired, was  to  enrich,  beyond  the  dreams  of  avarice,  the  sovereigns 
and  people  of  Spain.  He  had  no  conception  of  the  adventurous 
pioneer  and  thrifty  emigrant.  The  bell-crowned  Pilgrims,  landing 
on  Plymouth  Rock  in  midwinter  with  no  other  purpose  than  to 
found  a  State  for  the  enjoyment  by  all  of  just  and  equal  laws, 
would  have  aroused  his  wonder  and  contempt.  The  imagination 
cannot  picture  his  amazement  could  he  have  foreseen  the  marvel- 
ous results  of  the  Mayfloiver''s  voyage.  The  wealth  poured  in  such 
abundant  measure  from  the  mines  of  the  New  World  into  the 
treasury  of  Spain  was  a  potent  factor  in  the  fall  of  her  power 
and  prestige  in  Europe. 

The  founders  of  our  republic  welcomed  with  cordial  hospitality 
all  who  came  to  escape  from  oppression  or  better  their  condition. 
The  immigrants  who  accepted  the  in\atation  and  landed  by 
millions  on  our  shores  brought  the  qualities  and  purposes  which 
have  added  incalculably  to  the  wealth  and  glory  of  our  country. 
While  South  America  and  Mexico  were  demoralizing  Europe  with 
gold  and  silver,  Europe  was  contributing  to  the  United  States  her 
farmers  and  artisans  to  gather  from  the  fruitful  earth  and  pro- 
duce in  the  busy  factory  an  annual  and  ever-increasing  volume  of 
wealth;  wealth  which  enriches,  but  does  not  enervate,  which 
stimulates  invention,  promotes  progress,  founds  institutions  of 
learning,  builds  homes  for  the  many,  and  increases  the  happiness 
of  all.  Four  centuries  separate  us  from  Columbus.  Within  this 
period  more  has  been  accomplished  for  humanity  than  in  the  four 
thousand  years  which  preceded  him. 

We  are  here  to  erect  this  statue  to  his  memory,  because  of  the 
unnumbered  blessings  to  America  and  to  the  people  of  every  race 


24 


and  clime  which  have  followed  his  discovery.  His  genius  and 
faith  gave  to  succeeding  generations  the  opportunity  for  life  and 
liberty.  We,  the  heirs  of  all  the  ages,  in  the  plenitude  of  our  en- 
joyments and  the  prodigality  of  the  favors  showered  upon  us, 
hail  Columbus:  Hero  and  benefactor! 


op 


At  the  close  of  Mr.  Depew's  address  there  was  prolonged 
applause,  when  G-eneral  Wilson  advanced  to  the  front  of  the  plat- 
form and  said  that  the  ceremonies  were  at  an  end.  Then  the 
people  gathered  about  the  base  of  the  statue  and  passed  around  it 
to  view  its  beauty.  The  polished  New  England  granite  pedestal 
bears  on  its  front  in  large  gilt  letters  the  name  "  Columbus,"  and 
on  the  back,  "  Presented  by  citizens  of  New  York,  In  Commemo- 
ration of  the  Four  Hundredth  Anniversary  of  the  Discovery  of  the 
New  World,  October,  1492."  For  a  description  of  Sunol's  statue, 
readers  are  referred  to  the  concluding  article  from  "  The  Art  Inter- 
change," which  appears  on  another  page. 

The  proceedings  connected  with  the  ceremonial  of  unveiling 
the  Columbus  statue  were  very  appropriately  concluded  by  a 
pleasant  dinner-party  in  the  evening,  given  by  ex-Mayor  and 
Mrs.  William  H.  G-race  at  their  residence.  No.  31  East  Seventy-ninth 
street,  at  which  the  principal  guests  were  Vice-President  and  Mrs. 
Stevenson,  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe,  General  and  Mrs.  Grant  Wil- 
son, Hon.  Chauneey  M.  Depew,  Commodore  Van  Santvoord,  Arturo 
Baldasano,  Consul-General  of  Spain,  and  Hon.  Thomas  L.  James. 
The  Italian  Ambassador  and  the  Baroness  de  Fava  were  com- 
pelled by  an  important  engagement  to  return  to  Washington  the 
same  evening ;  and  the  Spanish  Minister,  Sehor  Muruaga,  was  pre- 
vented by  illness  from  being  present. 

25 


The  gift  to  the  people  of  New  York  City  of  a  spirited  bronze 
statue  of  Christopher  Columbus  for  the  adornment  of  Central 
Park  is  a  patriotic  and  altogether  praiseworthy  deed.  The  one 
hundred  and  fifty  gentlemen  who  contributed  their  efforts  and 
their  money  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  graceful  purpose  are 
indeed  public-spirited.  To  them  and  to  General  James  Grant 
Wilson,  who  conceived  the  idea  of  reproducing  in  Central  Park 
for  the  enjoyment  of  the  American  public  the  beautiful  statue 
which  he  admired  in  Madrid,  and  who  pushed  his  purpose  to  suc- 
cess, are  due  the  thanks  of  all.  Sunol's  Columbus  is  deserving  of 
the  important  site  it  occupies  at  the  entrance  to  the  Mall  as  much 
on  account  of  the  healthful  public  spirit  that  prompted  the  gift 
as  on  account  of  its  intrinsic  beauty. — New  York  Herald. 


New  York  has  reason  for  satisfaction  that  at  last  she  has 
what,  to  her  shame  as  the  chief  city  of  the  American  continent, 
she  long  lacked,  a  creditable  statue  of  Columbus.  The  presentation 
to  the  city  by  the  Italian  residents  of  the  monument  at  Eighth 
Avenue  and  Fifty-ninth  Street  was  followed  yesterday  by  the 
unveiling  on  the  Mall  in  Central  Park  of  the  Sunol  statue  of  the 
discoverer,  which  is  similar  to  the  famous  work  by  the  same 
sculptor  in  the  Prado  at  Madrid.  The  site  chosen  is  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  park,  and  testifies  to  the  high  appreciation  of  the 
gift  by  our  city.  The  statue  itself  does  credit  to  the  location,  and 
with  the  Shakespeare  and  Indian  Hunter  near  by  will  form  an  ex- 
ceedingly effective  group.  The  ceremonies  yesterday  afternoon 
were  of  an  unusually  interesting  character ;  for,  in  addition  to  the 
parts  taken  by  the  Vice-President,  Bishop  Potter,  Mr.  Depew,  and 
others,  there  were  addresses  by  the  representatives  of  Italy  and 
Spain,  the  two  nations  most  closely  associated  in  our  minds  with 
Columbus ;  and  a  poem  by  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe,  whose  singing 
for  freedom  has  been  no  less  effective  than  others'  fighting. — New 
York  Tribune. 

26 

/ 


General  Grant  Wilson,  the  distinguished  soldier  and  author, 
sti'olling  one  day  through  the  Prado,  in  Madrid,  paused  before  a 
marble  statue  of  Columbus,  the  beauty  of  which  called  forth  his 
profound  admiration.  It  was  the  work  of  Sehor  Jeronimo  Suhol, 
a  sculptor  whose  fame  is  by  no  means  confined  to  the  Spanish 
capital.  In  the  few  moments  that  followed,  the  General  resolved 
that  of  so  fine  a  representation  of  the  great  discoverer  there  ought 
to  be  a  replica  in  America,  owned  by  the  Americans.  That  reso- 
lution has  been  carried  out,  and  New  York  is  soon  to  be  the 
possessor  of  a  statue  of  Columbus  than  which  there  is  probably 
none  finer  in  the  world.  Upon  his  return  here.  General  Wilson 
laid  his  plans  before  a  number  of  prominent  New  Yorkers,  includ- 
ing Mr.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  Mr.  August  Belmont,  and  Mr. William 
Waldorf  Astor,  and  enlisted  their  hearty  interest  as  well  as  secured 
their  moneyed  subscriptions.  The  fifteen  thousand  dollars  which 
was  paid  for  the  statue  and  pedestal  was  made  up  by  one-hundred- 
doUar  subscriptions,  several  ladies  being  among  the  subscribers. 

Having  raised  the  necessary  funds,  the  General  ordered  the 
replica.  The  artist,  Sunol,  flattered  by  this  very  practical  appre- 
ciation of  his  work,  responded,  not  with  a  replica,  but  with  an 
entirely  new  model,  which  in  artistic  finish  was  soon  discovered 
to  transcend  even  the  original.  This  was  two  years  ago.  Since 
then  the  statue  had  been  cast,  and  is  now  in  this  city.  Though 
not  yet  on  public  exhibition,  through  the  courtesy  of  General 
Wilson,  "The  Art  Interchange"  is  permitted  to  reproduce  it.  The 
statue  is  of  heroic  size,  and  represents  Columbus  at  "  The  Laud- 
ing," in  the  act  of  returning  thanks  to  God.  He  wears  the  famous 
coat  of  scarlet,  deep-edged  with  ermine.  Around  his  neck  is  a 
heavy  chain  with  a  pendant  containing  the  head  of  Isabella.  The 
right  leg  is  in  advance,  the  left  leg  drawn  back  and  resting  on  the 
toe.  The  right  arm  is  thrown  forward,  the  hand  firmly  grasping 
the  royal  standard,  while  the  other  hand  is  outheld  as  if  in  blessing. 
The  head  of  Columbus  here  presented  is  the  type  most  familiar. 
Here  is  the  smooth-shaven  face,  the  high  retreating  brow,  the  long 
hair  caressing  broad  shoulders.    Expression — that  impalpable 

27 


something  by  means  of  which  genius  turns  stone  and  metal  into 
flesh  and  blood — is  here  made  to  give  the  true  effect.  Here  is 
Columbus,  the  living  man.  This  is  a  being,  animated,  whose 
attitude  expresses  only  one  thing — gratitude.  In  the  face  there  is 
an  intensity,  an  earnestness,  which  makes  one  forget  that  it  is  cold 
bronze;  for  those  open  lips  are  actually  muttering,  those  eyes 
expressing,  thankfulness. 

In  the  figure,  the  artist  with  consummate  skill  shows  the  two 
sides  of  the  hero's  life — the  two  distinct  men  which  his  career 
compelled  him  to  be.  In  the  silvered  locks  flowing  down  from  his 
uncovered  head,  in  the  deep-set,  uplifted  eyes  shining  with  a  holy 
light,  in  the  sad  and  gentle  lips,  in  the  hand  humbly  outheld  in 
blessing,  is  the  aged  student,  the  scholar,  the  man  of  peace; 
while  in  the  undaunted  determination  that  firm  sets  the  features 
in  the  massive  neck  and  sturdy  shoulders,  in  the  force  and  strength 
which  the  ponderous  frame  seems  to  be  holding  in  reserve,  is  the 
rough  adventurer,  the  hardy  and  brawny  navigator,  the  iron-willed 
captain.  The  execution  of  the  statue  is  indeed  faithful.  More 
than  once  it  reveals  the  magic  touch  of  genius,  and  the  whole  is  a 
splendid  specimen  of  what  later-day  Spaniards  can  do  in  plastic 
art.  Among  the  living  sculptors  of  his  native  land  Sunol  has  no 
superior. 

The  statue  was  to  have  been  unveiled  last  spring  by  the  Duke 
of  Veragua,  but  on  account  of  the  delay  in  shipment  and  of  the 
breaking  down  of  the  vessel  in  transit,  it  did  not  arrive  until  just 
before  the  Duke  sailed — too  late  for  him  to  officiate,  as  proposed. 
However,  the  Duke  saw  the  statue,  and  declared  that  it  far  excelled 
even  the  beautiful  original  in  his  own  country.  The  late  King  of 
Spain,  who  entertained  General  Wilson  in  that  magnificent  palace 
at  Madrid  which  the  first  Napoleon  deemed  the  finest  in  Europe, 
remarked  to  his  guest,  "Columbus  should  form  an  enduring  bond 
between  Spain  and  the  United  States,"  and  expressed  very  great 
interest  in  the  General's  scheme,  saying,  "  I  should  like  to  visit 
New  York  and  unveil  the  statue  when  it  is  completed." 

The  statue  is  to  stand  in  the  Mall  in  Central  Park,  opposite 


28 


the  statue  of  Shakespeare,  and,  by  having  a  pedestal  designed  by 
Napoleon  Le  Brun,  somewhat  similar  in  size  and  material,  the 
two  will  harmonize.  The  ceremony  of  unveiling,  which  will  be 
an  important  event  fraught  with  great  public  interest,  is  now  fixed 
for  an  early  day  in  the  coming  spring,  upon  which  occasion  Mr. 
Chauncey  M.  Depew  will  be  the  orator  and  Mrs.  Julia  Ward 
Howe  read  a  poem  composed  for  the  occasion.  Mr.  Stevenson, 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  is  to  be  invited  to  unveil  the 
statue  and  deliver  the  address  of  presentation.  As  is  usual  in 
such  a  project,  its  practical  fulfilment  falls  entirely  upon  one  man. 
In  this  case  the  man  is  General  Wilson,  with  whom  the  idea 
originated,  and  to  whom  the  credit  is  chiefly  due  for  the  under- 
taking's great  success. — The  Art  Interchange,  February,  1894. 


29 


t 


Among  those  who  subscribed  $100  each  to  pay  for  the  statue 
and  pedestal  are  the  following  ladies  and  gentlemen : 


D.  Appleton  &  Co. 

f  John  Jacob  Astor 
William  W.  Astor 
Samuel  D.  Babcock 
Madame  de  Barrios 

fAuGusT  Belmont 
George  Bliss 
George  S.  Bowdoin 

f  James  M.  Brown 
J. M.  Ceballos 

fGEORGE  W.  ChILDS 

Charles  F.  Clark 

Frederick  A.  Constable 
fWiLLiAM  W.  Corcoran 

Archbishop  Corrigan 

Charles  F.  Cox 

John  D.  Crimmins 

Chauncey  M.  Depew 
t  Squire  P.  Dewey 

D.  Stuart  Dodge 

Mrs.  W.  E.  Dodge,  Sr. 

William  E.  Dodge 
f  Joseph  W.  Drexel 

Stephen  B.  Elkins 
fBENJAMiN  H.  Field 
tHAJiiLTON  Fish 

John  D.  Flower 

RoswELL  P.  Flower  • 

Elbridge  T.  Gerry 

James  J.  Goodwin 
fJAY  Gould 

William  R.  Grace 

Walter  S.  Gurnee 

George  A.  Hearn 
fJoHN  H.  Hall 

Mrs.  Henry  Herrman 

Abram  S.  Hewitt 

Alfred  M.  Hoyt 

C.  P.  Huntington 
Morris  K,  Jesup 

D.  Willis  James 
Thomas  L.  James 


John  D.  Jones 
George  W.  Kidd 
John  A.  King 
Charles  Lanier 
Napoleon  Le  Brun 
fRoBERT  J.  Livingston 
fABiEL  A.  Low 
Henry  G.  Marquand 
J.  Pierpont  Morgan 
Darius  0.  Mills 
Alfonso  de  Navarro 
Antonio  F.  de  Navarro 
Jos^;  F.  DE  Navarro 
Mrs.  Jose  F.  de  Navarro 
Bishop  H.  C.  Potter 
tORLANDO  B.  Potter 
John  V.  L.  Pruyn 
George  W.  Quintard 
J.  Meredith  Read 
William  Rhinelander 
John  D.  Rockefeller  ' 
Mrs.  Russell  Sage 
Russell  Sage 
William  C.  Schermerhorn 
Jacob  H.  Shiff 
Samuel  Sloan 
W^illiam  D.  Sloane 
J.  S.  T.  Stranahan 
Charles  L.  Tiffany 
Frederick  D.  Thompson 
Mrs.  Randolph  W.  Townsend 
H.  McK.  Twombly 
Cornelius  Vanderbelt 
Frederick  W.  Vanderbilt 
George  W.  Vanderbilt 
Egbert  L.  Viele 
H.  Walter  Webb 
Williaji  H.  Webb 
Jacob  Wendell 
William  C.  Whitney 
James  Grant  Wilson 
George  G.  Williams 


t  Deceased. 


30 


